Israel Local Food Guide

While in Israel, I tasted a good number of local dishes. The majority of these lunch plates are easily found at the local markets in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem and other main cities. They are all affordable and a delicious way to experience Israel’s colorful culture.

Shakshuka – quickly becoming one of my favorite local foods, Shakshuka is made with poached eggs in a sauce comprised of tomatoes, chili peppers and onion. The best thing about Shakshuka is that you can easily make it yourself.

Falafel – most of us have tasted Falafel before but my favorite one in Israel comes from a small “hole-in-the-wall” in Haifa. Made with chickpeas, pickled vegetables, hot sauce and served in a pita, the art of falafel is best eaten seconds after being fried.

Hummus – I’ve always been a hummus fan but Israel takes this lunch plate to another level. Perfectly balancing the amount of hummus and olive oil, my favorite local joint is located in Jaffa, outside Tel Aviv.

Shawarma – similar to New York and other global cities, we found a ton of local vendors in Jaffa serving up greasy slabs of meat and chicken. While I’m not always up for this sort of lunch, I definitely recommend it when in Israel.

This dish was comprised of eggplant, potatoes and meat. I can’t remember the name but we ate it right off the oven and it was a great snack before a late dinner.

Knafeh – Just one of many desserts, spices and juices found at the Carmel Open-Air market located in the center of Tel Aviv. Our local guide made sure to have us sample the very best treats. The traditional pastry is made with butter and cheese and served warm.

Quite reminiscent of Mac & Cheese, we sampled this cheesy snack in the local Market in Tel Aviv. The pickles give it a little extra bit of personality.

40 Comments

Wow, that all looks amazing! We both love shakshuka, funnily the first place we ever had it was at the Israeli place in San Pedro La Laguna, in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. But we’ll have to get to Israel soon to try it out!!!Jess | GlobetrotterGirls recently posted..Polaroid of the week: Creepy statue at Haw Par Villa in Singapore

And now I’m starving. The shawarmas look amazing! I’m so sad we weren’t able to meet up with you in Israel. 🙁 Next time! Looks like you enjoyed yourself. 🙂Tawny- Captain and Clark recently posted..Our favorite parts of Ashland, Oregon

Aahh shakshuka, one of my favorite Israeli breakfast! I looooovee Tel Aviv, my top 3 favorite cities so far; and their food never disappoint, and the people are all so fun and friendly! Luckily NYC has almost the same amount of Israeli/Jewish population as the whole entire Israel and there are some uber delicious, inexpensive Israeli restaurants especially in the LES and Brooklyn.Antoinette B. recently posted..Friday Fotos: Scenes From a Romantic Friday Night

Shakshuka is great, the best in Benedict on Ben-Yehuda! I really like the place, but you can have an amazing breakfast in many places in Tel Aviv! One thing only which I do not like about this post is that you focused on food of Arabic origin and Israel is so much more than that! Food in Israel is such an amazing mix of Arabic, Russian, European, African and Far East!

I love seeing “Israelis” ripping off traditional arab food like Falafel and especially Knafeh LOL Israel is an illegal occupying settler state that is comprised of mostly European immigrants and they use local food of neighbouring countries as well as the original arab inhabitants and call it “israeli food”. What a joke! Get your own identity and culture.. These dishes have been around thousands of years before the creation of Israel… So lets not call them israeli food.. These are just adopted foods

Hi Shay, Sorry to hear that you are so upset by this article. You are correct in that these foods do not “belong” to Israel but I wrote an Israel Food Guide to showcase the different types of food you can find here.

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About Bohemian Trails

Hi! I’m Megan, a born-and-raised “southern belle” who now finds beauty in the odd and avant-garde. I left my job in the music industry to see the world through an unfiltered lens and haven’t stopped since. Follow my trail and discover your own!